[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 43 (Friday, March 3, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 11604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-5030]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement


Availability of Final Petition Evaluation Document/Environmental 
Impact Statement on Fall Creek Falls, TN

AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the final Petition Evaluation 
Document/Environmental Impact Statement (PED/EIS) for Fall Creek Falls 
Lands Unsuitable for Mining Petition.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Surface Mining (OSM) of the United States 
Department of the Interior is making available a final PED/EIS for a 
petition to designate Fall Creek Falls State Park and Natural Area and 
certain lands in the watershed and viewshed of Fall Creek Falls State 
Park and Natural Area, Van Buren and Bledsoe Counties, Tennessee, as 
unsuitable for all surface coal mining operations. The PED/EIS has been 
prepared to assist the Secretary of the Interior in making a decision 
on the petition to designate the Fall Creek Falls State Park and 
Natural Area and certain lands in the watershed and viewshed of Fall 
Creek Falls State Park and Natural Area as unsuitable for surface coal 
mining operations.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the final PED/EIS may be obtained by contacting 
Beverly Brock at the address and telephone number listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. A copy of the final PED/EIS is available 
for inspection at that address, and also at the Bledsoe and Van Buren 
County Clerk's offices.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Beverly Brock, Supervisor, Technical 
Group, Office of Surface Mining, 530 Gay Street, S.W., Suite 500, 
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902. Telephone: (865) 545-4103, ext. 146; e-
mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OSM has been petitioned by Save Our 
Cumberland Mountains, Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning, and 
49 citizens to designate the watershed and viewshed of Fall Creek Falls 
State Park and Natural Area, Tennessee, as unsuitable for all types of 
surface coal mining operations. OSM began to process the petition on 
October 5, 1995, and on May 1, 1998, OSM made available the draft PED/
EIS for a 90-day public review and comment period. Two subsequent 
comment periods were opened from August 21, 1998, to September 16, 
1998, and from January 29, 1999, to April 29, 1999.
    The final PED/EIS was prepared by OSM in accordance with Section 
522(d) of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 
(SMCRA) and Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969 (NEPA). OSM has analyzed the petitioners' proposed action of 
designating the entire petition area as unsuitable for surface coal 
mining operations and four alternative actions ranging from denying the 
petition in whole to designating certain portions of the petition area 
as unsuitable for mining.
    In preparing the final PED/EIS, OSM has revised the draft PED/EIS 
in response to comments received during the public comment periods. 
These comments and OSM's responses to them are included in the final 
PED/EIS.
    No decision will be made on the petition by the Secretary of the 
Interior until at least 30 days from the date the final PED/EIS is made 
available to the public. Notice of such decision by the Secretary of 
the Interior will be made available to the public at that time.

    Dated: February 8, 2000.
Allen D. Klein,
Director, Appalachian Regional Coordinating Center.
[FR Doc. 00-5030 Filed 3-2-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-05-M